This is a discussion on do you enjoy poker within the online poker forums, in the General Poker section; more then when you first started out?
when I started out I was just another donk that did not know how to play and really did

when I started out I was just another donk that did not know how to play and really did not care. I was gambling not actually playing. I loved it, there was no stress and since I was playing play chips when I lost my bankroll I waited 5 minutes then I reloaded.

Then I thought that I should try to become good at it (just a horrible idea). I read books, joined this site. I actually come on this site a lot but I never post. Thats when poker started to suck.

after losing countless of playchips, a 20$ dollar bankroll (that I grinned up from freerolls then .01/.02 tables) from a bad swing, bad play then tilting the rest away I have come to a conclusion that poker sucks.

okay this rant actually has a question involved in it.

has anyone ever felt like this?
if you have how did you get over it because I felt this way for months.
should I just give up because I honestly do not enjoy it anymore.

and the main qustions is

do you enjoy poker?
if so, do you enjoy it more now or when you were beginning

#2

22nd August 2010, 11:37 AM

wrung24 [452]

Poker at: Pokerstars

Game: Hold'em

I started playing poker in home games. While learning I was really playing bad and not paying attention, That was fine because the main goal was to have fun with a few friends on a boring weekday evening.

One day I was watching TV, bored and flipping through the channels. I came across Poker After Dark. (can't remember which one exactly but it was an old one, european freeview TV is just so far behind). That's when I realised that skill was that much more of a factor than luck. I thought that if I could learn the game properly, I could have a small advantage over this home game I was playing. I've never looked back since.

You would have to be a really pessimistic guy to be winning a bit at poker and wanting to quit because you don't like the game anymore. (You said you win some freerolls and can grind 2NL a bit). There is no shame playing a game you beat just to get on a high (something will click after a while and you will be able to move up)

If you combine that and a little bit of will to study to try and get the better of the games you're playing, then you have a very good chance of clearing that hurdle. The only problem is that the next hurdle is just around the corner, the one after that even closer. The lows will be very low and the highs will not be so high.

If you really don't enjoy it, then there is no other option than to stop playing altogether. Maybe take a long break that could help. If you still think you want to keep going, then either lower your expectations, or lower the competition enough so you can enjoy beating them more often (you will still get a few lows trust me).

You mentioned play money, how about that ? You could make it a goal to get to a certain amount of play chips. (If you do try this, then play SNGs, IMO easier than play money cash games).

I do still enjoy poker, and I think I will until I either all of a sudden have to stop for an outside reason or I get to the very top of poker. (I think I know which will happen first).

Hope my advice helps.

#3

22nd August 2010, 1:16 PM

Daniel72 [1,603]

Online Poker at: PokerStars

Game: NL Holdem

Yes, in the beginning poker was a mysterious thing for me, an exciting game. Today it´s more like a grind, but still fun. When i started out, i thought for instance, the tournament chips were real money. I was confused about bet sizes, until i realized, there is limit holdem / nolimit holdem. I had trouble to remember which hand beats what. I played obscure playmoney on yahoo, i guess. Good old times ! But i still love the game, although some magic has gone...

#4

22nd August 2010, 3:42 PM

dan [128]

Poker at: PS FT

Game: holdem oma

why else would we be here

#5

22nd August 2010, 5:43 PM

BluffYou123 [3,616]

Online Poker at: PokerStars

Game: NLH, PLO

I have gone through times where I have hated poker because I felt like I couldn't win and anyone that played a hand against me would beat me regardless of what they held.

This was quite a while back now and I enjoy playing again.

I would say what got me over it was learning from mistakes I was making at the table and not taking bad beats to heart anymore.

I am still somewhat affected by bad beats but most of the time I just laugh them off and get on with it.

It is alot tougher taking bad beats when you don't have a bankroll to handle it.

#6

22nd August 2010, 5:54 PM

COVID2 [90]

Poker at: Full tilt

Game: hold em

actually i love and enjoy the poker, since my start to playing poker i guess i was a normal player, i playing with precaution and obviuslly i lose like all the players, but when you want money, you need invest money, the best choice is read and always keep on the game for practice and make more strong your game, if you loose a bank of 20 dollars, this is not the end if you can make 20 dollars from 0, then you can make 100 from 0, this is the way and your game gonna be strong and better

#7

22nd August 2010, 5:58 PM

sharkyo01 [1,203]

Game: Snap

re: Poker & do you enjoy poker

No it = Stress,

Just habit i guess...

#8

22nd August 2010, 6:09 PM

madtom1337 [283]

Poker at: Full Tilt

Game: Holdem

Sounds likes this may be a bit of a tilt post, lol. I wouldn't sweat about losing a $20 bankroll that I made from freerolls. I've played 140k hands now and I'm probably enjoying it a little less at the moment because I'm having to grind hard at 50NL, but I think once I get to 200NL I'll start enjoying it more because I'll be able to cash out to play live at the casino which I imagine will be fun. After I worked out how to beat micro full ring games (be a nit) I got pretty bored so I started playing 6-max. Now I'm beating 6-max and can play lots of tables, I'm thinking I might have a dabble with HU once I move up to 100NL, since 50NL is the lowest HU stake and I'd prefer to learn at a level below the stake I'm rolled for, so gonna wait till then. But the point I'm making is, there's lots of different things you can do with poker to make it fun, you can play a bit of Omaha, you can go play live, you can play some tournaments, blah blah blah. I think perhaps the grind of trying to build a bankroll from 0 can be pretty stressful? Maybe just deposit a BR...

#9

22nd August 2010, 6:44 PM

LuckyChippy [4,987]

Some people enjoy playing without the stress of winning or beating the game. Some enjoy the challenge of beating others at a game of skill which rewards the winners with money.

Decide which you are and do what makes you happier. Though I think if you learned to beat the game, you'd enjoy beating it.

#10

23rd August 2010, 12:01 AM

mikejm [212]

Poker at: pokerstars

Game: holdem

yea i started playing ten dollar games with my friends and there was never anybody that consistently won. but now that i started reading into the strategy i pretty much beat them every time and that has definetely made poker more fun.

#11

23rd August 2010, 12:25 AM

blankoblanco [6,139]

Game: NL Hold 'em

in the immortal words of chau giang: poka is nice, i love play poka

#12

23rd August 2010, 12:29 AM

onemorechance [2,847]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blankoblanco

in the immortal words of chau giang: poka is nice, i love play poka

#13

23rd August 2010, 12:58 AM

ProGuy [38]

Online Poker at: Ultimate Bet

Game: holdem

I'm getting to the point where I can't win anymore. Talk about hitting a low point, my variance just sucks. It seems the randomness of the cards is killing any potential profit I may have. I can be way ahead and still get sucked out on and of course behind and never suck out on anyone. I'm sick of the one way street I'm currently on...Loserville Boulevard.

I went to the local casino Friday night and all I play is 1/2 NL. I bought in for 200 bucks and after thirty short minutes at a VERY loose and lively table I busted out after flopping top two pair. The low points in poker can absolutely bust your bankroll, even if you're playing top notch. Variance, suck outs, bad beats, etc, have busted my bankroll. I've been beat on two outers twice in the last month, a pure one outer about six months ago and countless four and five outers. I'm running like a 72' Pinto and thinking about quitting. I've also been stacked off when I flopped the smaller flush, twice in two weeks. Such a fun game. To much good hard earned money going down the drain to TERRIBLE players who are just luckier than I am. It's maddening and of course I've read tons of books just to make it worse. These are all live games too. I would venture to say that I have a command of the game that few on this board do, but I'm still a loser in the poker arena. There's so much luck involved that I'm ready to play Blackjack.

#14

23rd August 2010, 1:02 AM

akcash [106]

Poker at: Stars

Game: holdem

re: Poker & do you enjoy poker

i love poker

#15

23rd August 2010, 4:06 AM

TheOne2Watch [49]

Online Poker at: Carbon Poker

Game: holdem

I like poker, whether it is playing it, reading about it or watching it. I would say 45% watching, 30% reading, 25% playing. I dont need to play to enjoy the game. My best thing is watching 25.00/50.00 NL ring tables. I learn alot about the game by just sitting back and taking it all in.

#16

23rd August 2010, 5:55 AM

Mr Whatever [232]

Poker at: Fulltilt

Lololollol Prepare, I see ur frustration.

Playing that stuff.. . .lolololololo too many bad beats and bs=much frustration for me. I wouldn’t like playing that stuff even if im winning at it.

Its like eating dinner. Do u want little kids eating at ur table and throwing food and doing silly things or do u want to relax and enjoy a meal?

i like the idea of setting goals by one of the posters here though.

GL

#17

23rd August 2010, 5:59 AM

Bovinity [526]

Sometimes.

Right now - despite actually being up 50% on my initial deposit this time around - I've withdrawn all my money and uninstalled all my poker sites, lol.

Sometimes I just don't have the patience for the insanity that goes on. Other days I can play all day long.

#18

23rd August 2010, 7:20 AM

AtiFCOD [2,049]

I still enjoy playing poker. It's like a mix of strategy, conformity, finding out other players and yeah luck of course.
And defeating hundreds or thousands of players feels very good.

#19

23rd August 2010, 7:26 AM

fletchdad [7,480]

Online Poker at: Weddings

Game: holdem

Quote:

Originally Posted by prepare

1. has anyone ever felt like this?

2. if you have how did you get over it because I felt this way for months.

3. should I just give up because I honestly do not enjoy it anymore.

4. do you enjoy poker?

5. if so, do you enjoy it more now or when you were beginning

1. Probably many people. Feelings are emotions and pass. I will give you an example from my life. I am a professional musician (I compose music for films and advertising, I write songs for my self and to sell to artists, I play guitar and sing, I have a studio bla bla bla...) I used to practice my guitar up to 12 hours a day, cause I wanted to be the best in the world. I got pretty damn good. I loved playing good guitar more than anything. Seriously. I have been playing as a pro for over 30 years. I cant stand guitars sometimes now. That will happen with any hobby you take seriously, and devote a large portion of your time with. but read on to the next questions...

2. I hate guitars and music AT TIMES. But I get the same if not more satisfaction and fun as I always have when I write a good song, play a killer gig, etc. So if your fun does not exist anymore....hmmm... do something else.

3. YES. Its either a hobby or profession, and since you are not a pro, if it aint fun, do something else.

4.Yes. Immensely

5. Now

#20

23rd August 2010, 8:55 AM

AntiKhrist [67]

Poker at: PokerStars

Game: Omaha H/L

No.

When I was a rookie, I was just happy to play. I didn't know what bad play was(mainly because that's how I was playing).

Now that I know the odds, to see someone go in with garbage and catch, kills me.

I still play but it's a completely different game than back then.

#21

23rd August 2010, 9:12 AM

Madness_does [419]

re: Poker & do you enjoy poker

I enjoy live poker alot, online is just to kill the time, cause when you win in live play most games and just out right get sucked out so much online you get to hate the game.

#22

23rd August 2010, 9:33 AM

grafkarow [5,967]

Poker at: many

Game: any game

I still love playing poker though I must admit that a lot of the fun comes from winning from time to time.

As I started I was one of the typical freerollwhores - playing any game at any time on every site I had access to.

I had loads of fun because the play was so bad at times that even my very limited knowledge was good enough to cash in and even win a few FRs.

If I had lost everything over an extended period of time continuing to play wouldn't have made much sense, would it ?

(It wouldn't have been fun either)

It's hard to say whether I enjoyed it more as a beginner since my game has changed alot since then (some of the regs here will disagree and say I'm still a donk, lol).

I have put some time in studying the game and though I'm not even playing mid stakes I can cash out enough for a nice pocket money (bought a laptop, a 23'' display,HEM, vacations, a few evenings out with my girlfriend from that money and even withdrew to an extra banking account to get some interest).

A few suggestions OP:

cut down volume until you feel the urge to play again

work on your game to make it more profitable

don't play playchips (you won't learn anything good there)

keep your posts coming until you can join the CC freeroll club - CC freerolls are a great means to improve your game and build a BR.

Edit:

Quote:

I actually come on this site a lot but I never post

^^This is a major flaw imo: - You need to discuss your game in order to improve. Post in the HH section and let the regs there analyse your play.

#23

23rd August 2010, 6:49 PM

madtom1337 [283]

Online Poker at: Full Tilt

Game: Holdem

Sorry but this thread is slightly moronic. Those moaning about their oh so awful variance are clearly not that great at beating poker. You can't say that you beat your games until you fully understand variance and you're fully comfortable with it. Half the people moaning are probably playing MTTs which are high variance, and if you look into the "good" variance that you need in order to do well in a large pool of players, it's actually rather rich expecting to win MTTs very often at all. For example...

Let's say to win a tournament you need to turn your 1500 chips into 1 million chips. You need to double up 9 times and win a couple of shorter stacks, and that's without losing a hand, and oftentimes you need to win more than 1 million chips to win an MTT. A lot more, in fact. 9 double-ups in a row without getting stacked 1 time is really a long shot, even if you have pocket aces every time. Half of those times you're likely to be flipping, and half of the flips you're going to be a slight dog. If you research the chances of this many double-ups with these kind of odds, it's really optimistic to hope to cash in the top spots in MTTs regularly.

I go into detail about MTTs because I notice a lot of people on CC are tournament players. If you're a cash player and you're moaning about how utterly horrendous your variance is, particularly at the micros, your play probably just isn't that good to beat the games significantly yet.

#24

23rd August 2010, 8:37 PM

lektrikguy [1,559]

Poker at: Carbon/Bodog

Game: HE/PLO/2-7TD

I have liked it all my life, but the more I read(books and the posts at CC) and the more I understand it the more I enjoy it. I can take the bad beats now too, it's just variance. I had a real tough time for a while, but I let affect my game. Now I can get over it-most of the time.

#25

23rd August 2010, 9:48 PM

Deadly Silent [359]

Online Poker at: FullTilt

Game: Omaha

I dont know if I enjoy it more but I definately get more of a thrill out of it than when I first started out. I am definately more addicted to. I started out playing in friendly tourneys about 3 weekends a month and then I started playing online and now I play almost everyday.

when I started out I was just another donk that did not know how to play and really did not care. I was gambling not actually playing. I loved it, there was no stress and since I was playing play chips when I lost my bankroll I waited 5 minutes then I reloaded.

Then I thought that I should try to become good at it (just a horrible idea). I read books, joined this site. I actually come on this site a lot but I never post. Thats when poker started to suck.

after losing countless of playchips, a 20$ dollar bankroll (that I grinned up from freerolls then .01/.02 tables) from a bad swing, bad play then tilting the rest away I have come to a conclusion that poker sucks.

okay this rant actually has a question involved in it.

has anyone ever felt like this?
if you have how did you get over it because I felt this way for months.
should I just give up because I honestly do not enjoy it anymore.

and the main qustions is

do you enjoy poker?
if so, do you enjoy it more now or when you were beginning

Prepare,
To be honest, I love playing poker about the same and play both and money. Mostly play money though. I've read so much about this/that that my little pea brain is confused at my age of 72. So, I play lots of play money chip games and find it fun and challenging. My goal is to build up enough chips to play the larger play money games and see how many chips I can make. I play small clan games on Full Tilt with Railbirds/Lizzards/others, but being on limited income, I limit my money gambling. The money games are fun and exciting, but the problem I'm experiencing is that 90% of the time you are playing the same players and they can build a file on your type of play and then it really gets tough. I still try, but not real successful most of the time. You get to know your clan members and there is a lot of chatting during play and I have a problem chatting unless it's to congratulate good play and complain about slow play. Why does it take 30 -45 seconds to decide when you are the first to play? Bugs me. When I see my hole cards, I immediately know whether or not to fold/play/gamble. Gitter done is my way. Good luck and fun to you in the future.

#27

24th August 2010, 3:52 PM

Chemist [1,081]

Online Poker at: Pokerstars

Game: holdem

My AA just got cracked by 23o

NO I DON'T
I HATE POKER

(for the next few minutes)
Going for some fresh air to cool down.

#28

24th August 2010, 3:57 PM

Duamutef [12]

Poker at: Full Tilt

Game: Holdem

re: Poker & do you enjoy poker

I love poker, but like anything else, it can be overdone. I generally find I rack up my largest series of losses when I am simply playing too much. Factor in the tilt with the burnout of playing too much, and I think just about anyone would be hating the game. I find taking a break for a few days or even a week really refreshes me, and I am excited to get back to playing. Actually, I am currently on a 3 week hiatus after tilting pretty badly...but during that time, I am still reading up on the game and watching it on the TV when I have time.

#29

24th August 2010, 4:13 PM

Tonky666 [322]

Online Poker at: full tilt

Game: hold em

loved it when i began always wanted to learn to be good....still learning though hahahaha and love it even more now...

#30

25th August 2010, 7:07 PM

madtom1337 [283]

Poker at: Full Tilt

Game: Holdem

Quote:

Originally Posted by THeGaME41

1 cent 2 cent isn't poker... its like a freeroll from hell

Poker's poker. If the stakes effect the way you play, that's a psychological leak. The difference is the way others tend to play. If you can't beat 2NL cash, then you don't understand the fundamentals of beating and exploiting bad players, which is the bread and butter of beating poker for profit.

#31

26th August 2010, 1:59 AM

GCB [153]

Online Poker at: Full Tilt

Game: Hold'em

Naah, I hate it. Now shuffle up and deal.

#32

26th August 2010, 3:26 AM

5TR8 FLUSH [1,041]

Poker at: FTP

Game: NLHE

I enjoy playing poker when i'm running hot and seems like I can't lose but when I feel like I can't do anything to win I hate poker and take some weeks or sometimes months off poker and come back a lot more concentrated and well rested. No matter what I will always love poker, i'm the best but for sure I am not the worse.

#33

26th August 2010, 9:59 AM

SlySwagga [99]

Online Poker at: FT

Game: HE,O8,RAZZ

I'm amazed to find ppl actually believe poker is something gorgeous. Poker is a b!tch and should be treated as such. Poker will eat u alive if u fall in love with it. Its like that bubbly, hot girl u met and u knew u should just fk her and not get emotionally involved but u still did.

I still enjoy the game but not cuz i think its beautiful. Its more b/c i can use it to my advantage w a bit of luck.

#34

26th August 2010, 11:50 AM

prepare [296]

Poker at: fulltilt

Game: Holdem

Quote:

Originally Posted by madtom1337

If you're a cash player and you're moaning about how utterly horrendous your variance is, particularly at the micros, your play probably just isn't that good to beat the games significantly yet.

I agree and disagree. my strategy is able to beat the .1/.2 cent game, thats what where I disagree.

where I agree with you is that my play is not good enough to beat that game, my poker play is not all strategy it has a lot to do with my mind set. I have lost months of work of building a bankroll in a couple of hours because I could not stand up and see what is going wrong.

I mentioned it in the beginning, I will quote my self "from a bad swing, bad play then tilting the rest away"

if I lose most times I will quit the table, look at my hands see if am I doing something wrong? am I being outplayed? or is it just variance?

but then there is that one time where I just say f it then I lose most my bankroll in a couple of hours.

I will quote my self one more time "from a bad swing, bad play then tilting the rest away"

a bad swing leads to bad play, (bad play is far from tilting my money away). bad play leads to me tilting my money away. (trust me, this is not really bad play this is basically pushing with any two hoping that I will hit the 40% in a 60 40).

honestly, this post was created because I was annoyed and wanted to rant but I still wanted had some questions.

so honestly, you are right my play is not able to beat this game, which is something I need to fix, but which comes to my main problem is that I do not enjoy poker that much, its like 10% of what it was when I first started. why try to fix my play, my play means nothing right now, if I decide to continue playing poker then I will start trying to improve my play.

this was supposed to be a quick short response.

to everyone else: thanks for advice (especially the set goals and post replays of your hands). thanks for the posting to this thread.

it is about 4 in the morning so if my grammar or spelling is incorrect its because I am not in the mood to proof read it and even if I did I still probably miss all my mistakes because I basically been running on coffee.

#35

26th August 2010, 12:25 PM

8Michael3 [456]

Online Poker at: Full Tilt

Game: Holdem

re: Poker & do you enjoy poker

David Sklansky hits the nail on the head when he says that the object of poker is to win money-thats where the fun is.

Yeah, I love poker, its fun because I win money. Which makes me sad because they just banned all online gambling including poker in South Africa.